On April 21, approximately 25,000 runners will gather to complete the 129th Boston Marathon. Around 10% of these runners are charity runners, which means that instead of qualifying with a time, they have fundraised on behalf of one of the 174 official charity programs selected by the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program. Tufts graduate student Maggie Roberts and Tufts senior Nika Renshaw are both excited to participate in the marathon as charity runners, raising funds respectively for Tedy’s Team and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Roberts, who is studying civil and environmental engineering, grew up watching her dad run the marathon and has wanted to run it since.
For Roberts, running this marathon is about more than herself — she is running to fundraise for Tedy’s Team, an organization that works to raise awareness for stroke and heart disease.
“[Tedy’s Team was] founded by Tedy Bruschi 20 years ago. He was my neighbor at the time, and he suffered a stroke and then recovered from it and was able to continue playing in the NFL,” Roberts said.
While training for the marathon, Roberts has raised around $10,000 for Tedy’s Team. She and her older sister, who is also running the marathon for Tedy’s Team, have done several events such as spin class fundraisers and trivia nights. Through these fundraisers, the sisters have spread awareness about the early warning signs of strokes, educating their friends and family about Tedy’s Team’s central mission.
Roberts and her sister couldn’t simply sign up to run the marathon. Tedy’s Team — and many other official charities of the Boston Marathon — require runners to complete an application to ensure that they are connected to the organization’s mission. With so many runners eager to take part in the prestigious Boston Marathon as charity runners, organizations are forced to turn down applicants. This year, Tedy’s Team selected 50 runners from over 100 applicants.
Allison Gianfelice, director of communications at Tedy’s Team, emphasized how runners’ stories are central to the selection process. Additionally, when runners have a connection to the organization, fundraising becomes easier.
“[The] biggest thing [is] the stories behind our runners,” Gianfelice shared.
The selected runners have trained together and formed a community, gathering on Saturdays for long training runs with a coach and other charity organizations.
“Being really closely connected with the other Tedy’s Team runners has really helped [keep me motivated] … I feel like I’ve gotten to know a lot of them really well, and I didn’t know any of them before,” Roberts explained.
Gianfelice reiterated the same sentiment. “It’s a family vibe over here, and all our runners become part of our family,” she said.
For Tedy’s Team, the Boston Marathon is a core event that raises funds for both their Comeback Assistance Program and Tedy’s Team Center of Excellence in Stroke Recovery at Massachusetts General Hospital while also spreading awareness about the warning signs of strokes. All of their runners receive a race singlet that features the “BE FAST” acronym representing common signs of strokes on the back. Gianfelice shared that she knows people who learned the stroke warning signs from the back of the singlet at the marathon and were then able to help family members experiencing a stroke.
Renshaw, who is studying biology and child studies, is also running the Boston Marathon this year. She has found community in the Tufts Marathon Team and is fundraising for the Friedman School.
Renshaw is a New Hampshire native who grew up watching the marathon and was inspired to run after volunteering at the marathon with Tufts Emergency Medical Services. When Renshaw was offered a bib from Don Mergele, coach of the Tufts Marathon Team, this fall, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Every spring, the Tufts Marathon Team is allotted a certain number of bibs. This year, the team received 15 bibs, and students selected by Mergele are set to run the marathon. Most selected runners are seniors or recent alumni. Each runner raises $5,000 individually for the Friedman School — specifically the school’s research in public policy, pediatric cancer and pediatric obesity.
“This year, there was an anonymous donor who for every [Tufts Marathon Team] member that made it to $5,000 … matched [the donation] with $10,000, so all of us are actually donating $15,000,” Renshaw said.
Renshaw has been running and training with the Tufts Marathon Team since her sophomore year. Trainings are twice a week, requiring runners to wake before dawn on Wednesdays to run 7 miles at 7 a.m. while participating in longer runs on Sundays. In preparation for the marathon, members run close to 20 miles on Sundays.
Renshaw emphasized how welcoming and supportive the Tufts Marathon Team community is.
“I feel very lucky to have found them, and I definitely would not be anywhere near the runner that I am, nor able to complete a marathon, without the marathon team, which is awesome,” she said.
Renshaw’s experience volunteering for the past two years at the marathon through TEMS has also given her a unique lens into the marathon’s operations. About 20 TEMS members are stationed at medical tents along the course. Under the direction of a leading physician, they help runners with dehydration, cramps and other injuries that arise during the race.
“It’s such an incredible opportunity to do something very different from what TEMS does normally and then also just being at the marathon is so exciting,” Renshaw said.
Renshaw explained how this unique volunteer opportunity originated.
“One of our alumni from many years ago is now very heavily affiliated with running the medical part of all of the Boston Athletic Association and he … gets [TEMS] some volunteering spots every year,” Renshaw said.
With the marathon less than two weeks away, Renshaw expressed excitement as she looked forward to the big day.
“It’s always so inspiring to watch and so cool to see everyone run, so I’m excited to actually be a runner this time,” she said.
